Calum Franklin’s guinea fowl and wild mushroom pie

Method

1. Weigh out 500g of the puff pastry, lay the two pieces side-by-side and push together to form a single block. Roll out to a 40cm square on a lightly dusted surface. Transfer to a baking tray, then rest in the fridge for 10 minutes. Roll the remaining pastry into a 24cm diameter disc, trimming to size if needed, for the lid. Rest in the fridge on a tray until needed.
2. Once the pastry has chilled, trim the corners (keep these in the fridge for decorations) to give a roughly 34cm circle (use your tin as a guide).
3. Line the greased tin with the pastry so it goes right into the edges but without stretching it. Trim the pastry to leave a 2cm overhang all around. Chill the lined tin in the freezer. If you don’t have room, put in the fridge and leave until well chilled (1-2 hours).
4. Meanwhile put the chicken stock, carrot, onion, garlic and 1 tsp sea salt in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the guinea fowl legs, turn the heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the legs from the stock and transfer to a plate to cool.
5. Cut the breast meat into 4-5cm chunks and add to the hot stock. Take off the heat and leave to poach, lid off, for 5 minutes. Remove the breast meat and put in a medium bowl to cool. Strain the stock into a clean pan through a fine sieve, then reduce on a medium heat, skimming off any fat from the surface, until the stock has reduced to about 200ml.
6. Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms in a medium frying pan with 2 tsp vegetable oil and 10g of the butter for 4-5 minutes to brown, then add to the cooked breast meat. Strip the leg meat from the bone, keeping the meat in large pieces, then add it to the mushrooms and breast meat.
7. Melt the remaining 140g butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat, then add the 100g flour and whisk together to make a roux. Cook for 10 minutes, whisking every minute or so. Add half the cider and bring to a simmer, whisking until smooth, then whisk in the rest of the cider. The mixture will be thick. Add half the reduced stock and repeat as with the cider. If the sauce looks thin, turn up the heat slightly and cook, whisking, until it’s thick enough to coat the back of the spoon.
8. Add the mustards and tarragon and taste to see if it needs salt/pepper. Stir the sauce into the mushroom/meat mix, then leave to cool. Chill for at least 1 hour until firmed up.
9. Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Remove the cake tin from the freezer and spoon the chilled pie mix into the pastry case, smoothing the top to level it.
10. Put the pastry lid on top. Brush with the egg wash then, when the overhanging pastry has softened, trim it to the edge of the tin and fold it over, crimping it over the lid to seal (it should cover the lid by 2cm or so). Brush all over with the egg wash again.
11. Cut out and add any design you like using the pastry off-cuts, then use the egg wash to stick them to the pie.
12. Brush all over with the egg wash a third time.
13. Chill for 10 minutes in the fridge, then bake for 35 minutes, rotating the tin halfway, until the pastry is deep golden all over and the filling is piping hot. Serve warm with seasonal veg and potatoes.